Wednesday, April 1, 2015

AFL Goal Kicking Records and the Impact They Have Had On the Sport

With another record breaking season underway, the AFL has
grown into a true sport of legends when it comes to iconic games, legendary
players and unforgettable moments. Over the course of the past season, new
records have been broken, igniting passion in fans across the globe. Let’s look
at some of the games’ most notable exceptions to the rules and those classic
records that may never be broken.

As the old saying goes, in the end the only thing that
matters is who scores the most goals in a game, but within those lines there
are outstanding players who stand head and shoulders above the rest when it
comes to accuracy and potency. Some of the biggest targets for any would-be
record breakers out there go to the players who have scored the most career
goals.

Most AFL Goals of All Time

The records for the most AFL goals line up to show a picture
of how the sport has evolved over time, bringing modern, physically stronger
and fitter players into the equation. Tony Lockett currently holds the top spot
for most AFL career goals, with an outstanding 1,360 in his playing career.

This St. Kilda and Sydney legend amassed this huge tally
over 20 years, playing in some of the most memorable games in the history of
the sport. Tony beat out his long-standing record holder rival, a legend by the
name of Gordon Coventry who amassed a particularly amazing 1,299 goals in his
career.Lance Franklin is the leader in
the current crop of players in action. With a total of 641, Tony had better
watch his back!

Most Goals in a Single Game

AFL is predominantly a team sport when it boils down to it,
but in some cases a larger than life character can carry a team. It is with
these match-winning players that you get the special talent for scoring goals.
Multiple goals per game isn’t a particularly rare event these days, but when
you see players like the legendary Fred Manning who scored a total of 18.1
goals in a single game, you might conclude that these young players nowadays
have a lot of learning to do.

Playing for Melbourne, Manning managed to overcome his
opponents almost single-handedly with his winning routine. In 1947’s Junction Oval, the crowd must have been thrilled with excitement to see Melbourne wipe
the floor their opponents, St. Kilda in round 19. The only other player in
recent times to come close to Manning is Jason Dunstall of Hawthorn who managed
a total of 17.5 in 1992’s round 7 against Richmond.

Most Goals in a Single Season

The end of the season is typically when the tough get
tougher, so to end out your season on a high with a record breaking season goal
total would put a smile (and a large sponsorship deal) within reach. Bob Pratt
of South Melbourne managed to haul in a whopping 150 goals in a single season,
earning him the legendary status he deserves.

Playing for South Melbourne in the 1934 season, Pratt was
having the game of his life nearly every match, being the go-to player for his
team mates whenever they got the ball. The Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall
managed a similar achievement in his record breaking season, scoring a total of
145 goals, marking his place in history as one of the all-time greats.

These AFL goal kicking records have sat for a long time,
just waiting to be broken. Do you think some of these records can even be
beaten? With a new group of talented players now reaching the heights of
success around the game, it is yet to be seen if the players we are seeing play
now finish their careers with all of the illustrious success of their
forebears.